"How is it?" Mi Niang asked about the second wife's situation.
Mrs. Ding shook her head and said, "It's neither good nor bad. It seems that she thinks Mr. Rong is poor. Qingfen agrees, but the queen..."
Mi Niang nodded: "If the queen really investigates Mr. Rong for Qingfen, we are not afraid. Mr. Rong is not good in character or knowledge. I am just afraid that the queen will find out too late. If she doesn't hurry up, it will be difficult to find him in the future."
It's not easy to find a man with a conscience and good character these days.
Those with really good conditions had already been snatched up by various families, so how could it be the turn of the palace maids?
Madam Ding Er said, "In that case, let's wait. The road is still icy, and Rong Jiansheng won't be able to leave for a while. But if there's no news from him for a long time, I'll have him make plans early. He's going to take up a post far away, so he needs someone to help him manage the household."
The mother and daughter talked about this for a while, and then said that they were going to go see the lanterns on the street tonight, which was the important thing.
As for Qingfen, Second Mistress Ding had made a bold move and found a good man, so she had already fulfilled her entrustment to Qingfen. As for whether the Empress would agree or not, that was her business.
Ruan Jiading just came in and said, "The lanterns there are much taller than the ones we saw in Wuchang. There are all kinds of lanterns piled up like a mountain, lighting up the whole capital. Let's go there today."
Mi Niang clapped her hands: "That would be great."
As he was about to stand up, he wanted to go right away. Chun Tao said anxiously, "My dear, you have to wear a veil when you go out."
"I know."
Women in the capital were not allowed to meet outsiders easily, and even when they went out they had to wear a veil to avoid being peeped at.
Besides, Mi Niang is already engaged, and the reason she can go out is because her family loves her. Just like Guo Yaoyu from the Guo family, she hardly goes out since she got engaged. It was only when she got engaged that Guo Yaoyu came.
Because when going out to see the lanterns, although you have to dress up, you cannot have too many hairpins, otherwise, if you are seen and touched by a thief, you may have your hair disheveled before you come back. Moreover, for a young lady, it is better to use light things such as silk and velvet flowers. After getting married in the future, when her hair is tied up and she becomes the mistress of the house, it is appropriate to wear kingfisher feather and gold ornaments.
"Miss, do you think it's okay to comb your hair like this?" Chuntao said to Mi Niang while looking into the bronze mirror.
Mi Niang pinched the flesh on her face and said, "I gained weight during the Chinese New Year. I eat a lot every day. I have so much flesh."
Xia Lian, who was standing by, couldn't stand it any more: "You have a face that shows good fortune. People in my hometown always say that if you don't have fat on your cheeks, you can't make friends. You are so beautiful, and you keep talking about yourself. Look at my face, this is a face that shows fat."
Strangely enough, Xia Lian was neither fat nor thin when she was in Huguang. But after coming to Beijing, she loved eating noodles and ate steamed buns for three meals a day. She felt like she was inflated and all her old clothes could no longer fit into her.
Mi Niang pleaded, "It's not my fault. Don't blame yourself. My mother gave me a can of tea the other day. You can pack some for daily consumption. Drinking tea can help you lose weight."
"Okay, thank you very much, Miss." Xia Lian was very happy.
As maids, they lack knowledge, but the young lady is knowledgeable and knows everything. If they feel uncomfortable or have problems in their daily lives, they just need to tell the young lady and she will always have a solution.
After getting dressed, Mi Niang looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Bai Zhi came in and said, "Second Madam asked if you were ready. She and Eleventh Madam are waiting for you."
"Okay, okay, I'll get out of here."
Originally, the mansion had invited them over, but Ruan Jiading and Second Madam Ding still wanted to go out more often. There were not many days of leisure throughout the year, and after the Lantern Festival, they didn't have much time to go out.
Children are the happiest on days like this. Mi Niang even pulled open the car curtains and looked out. Even a mature young man like Yu Heng couldn't help but be excited.
When we got to the vicinity of Daqianmen, we saw a vast array of lanterns, too numerous to take in. Some of the lanterns that we can name are the lotus lanterns, eight-treasure lanterns, revolving lanterns, beauty lanterns, octagonal lanterns, and dragon lanterns, and there are many more that I can't even name.
Mrs. Ding Er smiled and said, "This lamp is really beautiful, and the lamp tower is well built, it's like daytime."
"Who said it wasn't, Mom? Look, there's a lion dance over there. It's really pretty."
Yuheng and his brother were already eating the bread with mutton in the middle. Yuheng insisted on giving it to Mi Niang, but Mi Niang quickly waved her hand and said, "Mutton smells so bad, I really don't want to eat it."
Children adapt quickly to everything. For example, Yuheng doesn't like rice anymore and prefers noodles. They are not used to the alkaline noodles from the south, and they can't eat spicy food. Mi Niang's taste has long been fixed. If you ask her to eat noodles once, she will be fine, but if you eat them every day, she won't be able to eat them.
People in Beijing eat mutton and venison, but she is not used to them.
Ruan Shiyi bought some candied haws from somewhere and handed them to them. Even Ding Erniang had some. Zhou smiled and said to Mi Niang, "Your brother is so old, but he is still like a child."
"Sister-in-law, you are saying the opposite of what you mean. A man like Eleventh Brother is so considerate and kind-hearted that it is hard to find even with a lantern." Mi Niang covered her mouth and laughed.
Zhou hit her lightly twice. Her aunt and sister-in-law played around for a while. Ruan Jiading and Ruan Shiyi both brought lanterns to them. Mi Niang couldn't walk when she saw a peony-shaped lantern. Second Lady Ding bought this one for her daughter. With a lantern in each hand, they followed the flow of people and felt the hustle and bustle around them was full of fireworks.
Later in the evening, the women walked together to get rid of all diseases. They found a bridge and lit a stick of incense. Mi Niang, Chun Tao and Xia Lian walked across the bridge together with the incense. It is said that walking away all diseases can get rid of diseases and ward off disasters.
Xia Lian pointed to a wall and said, "There is a nail there. Let's go and find it."
"good."
Mi Niang lifted up her skirt and ran with them to touch the nails. She didn't know how many bridges she walked across that night. Although she was a little tired, she was very happy and didn't feel tired. The road was filled with the laughter of many women.
The palace was also very lively today, but it was a pity that Fan Yuzhen had no chance to attend such an occasion. She was a person of no rank. The Empress wanted to take her with her, but Concubine Cui made some sarcastic remarks halfway through, and her words were very unpleasant. For the Empress's sake, she had to stay alone in the palace.
"Young lady, let me take care of you and let you rest. Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. The queen should go to the Purple Palace to sleep with the emperor and will not be back." The palace maid advised kindly.
She was called over by the Queen to serve Fan Yuzhen. Although Fan Yuzhen was a bit aloof, she was very smart and managed the people around her very well. Although this little palace maid had served in the Queen's palace before, she was quite sincere to Fan Yuzhen now, so she would inevitably reveal some things in the palace.
Fan Yuzhen nodded: "Okay, I understand."
No matter how much her grandmother loved her, she didn't ask her to go back. It goes without saying that her aunt and second aunt were just for show. Fan Yuzhen was in a dilemma. She was sixteen this year and seventeen next year. I heard that the empress dowager gave the emperor another palace maid. The emperor was not short of women.
Now she was in a dilemma. She might as well go back early like Ruan Mi Niang. Should she also plead with the Queen to let her go back?
But when she talked about this with the maid, the maid said, "Miss Ruan can say that she misses home, but the people in the Duke's Mansion are not your home. If you go back now, you must ask the Queen to grant you a marriage with the Third Young Master. You and the Third Young Master were childhood sweethearts."
Either she stays in the palace or marries the Third Master. Otherwise, how can she marry into a good family? The Fourth Miss of the Ruan Family married a man who is as vicious as a wolf, and her health is not very good either. I believe that the Ruan Family will not really find someone for her.
But, the queen is good to her.
But the queen has never asked her for all these days. What should she do?
"Forget it, let's wait a little longer."
Qingfen, however, felt that she could not wait any longer. She stood outside the Zichen Palace, where the Emperor and the Empress were having a harmonious conversation. Every time the Empress was favored, she would become particularly delicate and could not bear the slightest pain. Even if she wanted to plug her ears, she could not hear anything.
Today she and Zheng Dou Niang were on duty together. Zheng Dou Niang had just shown off in front of the Emperor, but she was strong without any desires. She only wanted to avenge her sister. Qingfen knew that she had been secretly keeping an eye on Concubine Cui, but this had nothing to do with Qingfen. Even if she said something about Zheng Dou Niang in front of the Empress, the Empress would not believe it.
After the empress had finished enjoying the favor, she would rest in the eastern quarters in the second half of the night, and Qingfen and Zheng Douniang would go in to serve her.
The Queen looked lazy all over, as if she could hardly move.
Qingfen felt more and more uncomfortable. You, the queen, enjoy sex twice a month. It's nothing. The emperor respects you on weekdays. But we are slaves. Our life is hard enough. We have no family and no husband. It's miserable enough. Why can't you help us? If you want to find a suitable one for me, when will it be done?
Qingfen seemed to have made some kind of decision.
Zheng Dou Niang did not miss Qing Fen's expression, thinking to herself that the Empress was so kind to her, yet she did not trust her and hated her instead. She sensed something was wrong.
During the Lantern Festival, because they walked so much to cure all kinds of diseases, Mi Niang and her family couldn't wake up in the morning. Even Ruan Jiading almost was late for the government office on the first day.
Mi Niang got up yawning, but couldn't help wanting to sleep again, but Zi Su pulled her back and said, "Miss, don't forget, we have to go to the Li family today."
I almost forgot that Li Guan's wife Wu gave birth to a daughter a few days ago, which made Mrs. Li very happy. She said that all the family members must go. Ruan Jiading can just go after he gets off work, and no one will blame him. But if the female family members go late, others will think you are arrogant, especially since the Ruan family and the Li family have a good relationship.
"Okay, I really can't wake up anymore." Mi Niang let the maids dress her in a daze.
In the past, I was very startled when I was in the palace. I would wake up at the slightest noise and often had trouble sleeping. Now, I fall asleep at home every day and don’t want to get up. I wish I could stay in bed forever.
Mrs. Ding took Mi Niang with her, but her younger brother Yu Han was too young, so she asked Zhou to help take care of him at home.
As a mother, she always thinks of her daughter first in everything she does. Second Madam Ding said to Mi Niang, "You are a grown-up girl now. You must be careful with your words and actions. I heard that the young mistress of the Li family has become a little strange after giving birth to a daughter. She is not like before."
Wu?
Mi Niang was puzzled and asked, "Is she unhappy because she gave birth to a daughter? It's not a big deal. Flowers bloom before fruits. She looks lucky. She seems to be able to take the initiative to take concubines for her husband. It can be seen that she is a broad-minded person."
Mrs. Ding would never mention such things to her daughter before, but now that Mi Niang is engaged, she said, "It's nothing strange. Young Master Li is handsome and talented, and he is very gentle and considerate to girls. He only showed some of his tricks to Wu. Even if she had a crush on someone before, she would probably be convinced. Now she has given birth to a daughter. I went to see her at Li's house a few days ago. She has butterfly spots on her face and lines on her belly. The two concubines standing beside her are both beautiful."
"If she had given birth to a son, she would have stopped, but she gave birth to a daughter and kept her pregnant. What do you think of her? She can't be jealous. She is a bit weird."
Mi Niang shook her head: "No matter what I do, I can't surpass her."
No matter how favored a concubine is, she will not be promoted to the position of the legitimate wife. This is different from the palace. In the palace, if the empress dies or is deposed, a concubine can be chosen from the imperial concubines to become the successor. However, concubines of officials' families basically cannot be promoted to the position of the legitimate wife. When the original wife dies, a new one will be hired from outside. Therefore, there is no need for her to be angry with the concubine.
Being a concubine is not easy. Most of the time, you have to do whatever your master tells you to do.
Since Mrs. Wu is usually quite capable of suppressing her concubines, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Mrs. Ding thought to herself, this is what girls say. Who wants to see their husband sleeping in the same bed with someone else? It's okay if the children are older, as the focus is on them. But Wu and her husband just had a good relationship, and a beautiful concubine came out to share her favor. It was unbearable, but she couldn't get angry. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, and naturally it was very strange.
When people fall in love, they always wish that the other person's body and heart belong to them.
It would be better if you treat each other with respect, and just get along with each other.
As the mother and daughter were talking, they arrived at the Li family's home. Luzhu and Mi Niang, who were beside Mrs. Li, were very familiar with them and came out to greet them.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Just send a little girl. What are you doing here? You're running too far."
"Our lady is looking forward to your coming. She has sent me to ask three times. I must come out to greet you." Luzhu knew that Madam Li had always liked Mi Niang.
Especially after Mrs. Wu's recent strange temper, the lady learned that Mi Niang refused to let the Ruan family leave the palace and said that she was not greedy for glory and wealth. She looked very regretful, but now everyone has already made up their minds, and Mrs. Li's intention cannot be told to others. Only she and Aunt Sun around her know a little about it.
Of course, Mrs. Li might have just said it casually. After all, she was very satisfied with Wu, her daughter-in-law.
Her family background is not comparable to that of Mi Niang.
Soon Mi Niang accompanied her mother to pay her respects to Madam Li. The house was filled with jewels and jades, and all of them were wives of high-ranking officials. If it weren't for their previous relationship, Mi Niang and her friends probably wouldn't have been able to get in. However, Second Madam Ding was very calm and greeted Mi Niang briefly.
The voices of everyone's conversation suddenly fell silent, and the girl in the room was seen wearing a jade yellow skirt with silver silk sprinkled on it, and a few spring jasmine silk flowers of the same color on her hair. Her hair was piled up in her hair, and her loose black hair was shiny black. Even with such a simple outfit, she was very beautiful.
Madam Li smiled and said, "Mi Niang, come sit here with me."
She then introduced this to everyone as her female disciple, who had learned pipa from her and was even better than her. Mi Niang should be grateful to Madam Li for this. Whether your superior is promoting you depends on whether she introduces her connections to you, just like Queen Ruan, who probably hasn't introduced Fan Yuzhen to anyone else yet.
"Why didn't you come to our house during the New Year? Your mother said that you have been going out less and less recently. It's okay to come to other people's homes, but you have to come to my house more often."
Mi Niang smiled and agreed.
Such a beautiful, gentle and well-behaved young lady immediately made the atmosphere lively. There were other people who brought their daughters here today, but they undoubtedly became the foils for Mi Niang.
Madam Jian came with her granddaughter Jian Yuehua. With her title as the wife of the Minister of Revenue, she could of course sit in the front row. She looked at Mi Niang next to Madam Li, and Mrs. Ding who was sitting below. They seemed to treat her the same as ordinary people. They did not accept the things she gave them, and they were not even curious at all.
She finally managed to escape from the mothers and grandmothers, and only saw the baby on the third day of his birthday.
"Do you want a hug?" Grandma Ding asked with a smile.
Mi Niang shook her head: "I don't want to. Han Ge'er makes me angry every day. Besides, she is so young. Even if I want to hold her, I am worried."
Children cannot be exposed to many other smells, and it is best not to keep them in crowded places, otherwise they will easily get sick.
As they were talking, a lady with a mole on the tip of her nose came over. She took Mi Niang's hand and said to Mrs. Ding Er, "I really love such a pretty girl. I wonder if she has promised to marry me?"
When Jian Yuehua saw this scene, she paused. She looked at the lady, who was Madam Shi, Junior Sima and Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. She seemed to have an unmarried son. Lord Shi was brave and had great prestige in the court. She didn't expect that the assistant minister's wife would fall in love with her.
It's her again. She was the one who got the upper hand last time.
Sometimes people's jealousy comes for no reason. In fact, Mi Niang and Jian Yuehua hardly spoke to each other. Just because Fang Weiyan's mother chose Mi Niang, she concluded that it was Mi Niang who was causing trouble.
If she took action to discipline the daughter of a small official, there would be many people willing to serve as her pawns, but she had her grandmother to protect her. She even learned a shocking secret, and she believed more and more that her grandmother was biased, and that Ruan Mi Niang and the others were deliberately playing hard to get in order to make her grandmother feel guilty and gain benefits from her in the future.
After Madam Shi finished talking to Mi Niang and her daughter, she left with great regret because she knew Mi Niang was engaged. Then Jian Yuehua appeared in front of Mi Niang like a ghost. Mi Niang took a look at her and saw that she was not friendly, so she asked, "Miss, is there something wrong?"
"You are really amazing. I tell you, even if you recognize me as your relative, you are still worlds apart from me. I am the eldest daughter of the Jian family. You should consider your own status and don't think of taking advantage of me. My grandmother is kind, but I am not stupid. You make things difficult for me everywhere, secretly do small things, and pretend to be noble with your mother. I know exactly what you are planning."
Mi Niang knew that the truth was right in front of her, and perhaps Mrs. Jian really had some connection with her family. However, she noticed that although Jian Yuehua spoke with a noble tone, her voice was as soft as the buzzing of a mosquito, and it seemed that she was just giving a private warning to herself.
At this time, she yelled, "Miss Jian, what are you talking about? What about pretending to be noble? What about your grandmother? I don't even know you. If you have the guts, just say it out loud. Don't talk about us without reason. Although my father's official position is low, he is also an official appointed by the court. I never dare to casually claim to be related to someone else's family."
Everyone was attracted by her words. Jian Yuehua wanted to escape when she saw that things were not going well, but Mi Niang grabbed her wrist and held her tightly: "You must apologize for slandering us. I don't believe there is no justice in this world."
She really hated the Jian family. Madam Zhang, the daughter of the Jian family, was extremely hostile to her mother and even almost killed her father. Madam Jian inexplicably sent her some cosmetics, and there was also this violent-tempered Miss Jian. If these people were not completely dealt with, she would be troubled every day.
Jian Yuehua, who was so arrogant just now, screamed and said out of control: "Let me go, let me go."
It was obvious that this girl was spoiled, strong on the outside but weak on the inside with no real ability. Madam Li quickly came out to smooth things over, as their family was the host and they didn't want their guests to cause any trouble.
Mi Niang snorted coldly, then let go of her hand and said, "It is true that kind people are often bullied."
She used to be so sweet and well-behaved, but now she looks like someone in charge, neither humble nor overbearing, which is very admirable.
Mrs. Ding Er came forward and asked, "What's going on?"
At this time, Madam Jian closed her eyes and asked the maids to take Jian Yuehua aside. This child has been spoiled by her parents, and it is difficult to straighten her out now.
"Everyone..." She stood up and said loudly, "Actually, I have something I want to tell you. If I don't tell you this, and someone else tells it in the future, I'm afraid you will hear it from somewhere else, or the younger generation will not know about it and misunderstand me."
Mrs. Ding Er saw that Madam Jian was looking at her. She was a person who rarely showed any emotion, but she looked strange as if she had thought of something.
"Before I married into the Jian family, I was married before. I'm sure many people know this. Later, my husband passed away and my in-laws kicked me out. I left half of my dowry to my daughter. Later, by chance, I met Miss Weng and we became sworn sisters. She died of illness on the way to her relatives' house. Before she died, she asked me to take care of her daughter."
"I originally wanted to take her daughter to her maternal grandparents' home, but when the Weng family saw me, they adopted me as their adopted daughter. Later, I married into the Jian family as a daughter of the Weng family."
"This Mrs. Ruan is my daughter."
Everyone looked at Grandma Ding Er. Mi Niang supported her mother's arm, as if to comfort her.
Mrs. Jian shed tears again: "I was not by your side at that time. I guess you must have suffered a lot, right?"
Second Madam Ding's was also very complicated. How could she not have resentment in her heart? She understood that her mother, a young widow, could not survive with her uncle coveting her in her husband's family. But she had already achieved success and fame, but she was still unwilling to lend a hand to help her. Did mood she think that an uncle who coveted her sister-in-law's beauty, who was inconsiderate of human relations, and a mean and sarcastic mother-in-law could be a good person?
If she hadn't met such a silly man from the Ruan family when she was eighteen, she would have become a concubine to an old man.
By the time she was eighteen, Mrs. Jane had already established herself.
Now she actually asked her if she had suffered a lot. She looked like a loving mother, and it made me want to vomit.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden recognition of kinship, even Madam Li said, "I never thought that Madam Jian and Madam Ruan were mother and daughter."
Someone else said: "If you look closely, they all look a bit alike."
Mrs. Li really felt a little regretful. Mrs. Jian was a really rich woman. She used to think that Mi Niang did not have as much dowry as Wu, and wondered if she would be mistreated when she married into the Marquis' Mansion. Now it seems that the circumstances of life are really unpredictable.
Mi Niang also looked at Second Madam Ding nervously. She didn't want Second Madam Ding to have any more contact with Madam Jian.
Although she has been pursuing fame and fortune in her past and present lives, and is not the kind of person who enjoys the breeze and the bright moon in the forest, she does things according to her principles. She hates people who are both powerful and insolent the most in her life.
Queen Ruan was one of them. She kept saying that women should help women and that the palace was a cage that locked up freedom, but when it came to sleeping with men, she enjoyed it more than anyone else, and when it came to helping women, she cheated more women than anyone else.
If you want to be a person, you can be as bad as you can be, and as cold-blooded as you can be. You, Madam Jane, didn't recognize her as your second wife before, but she managed survive to no matter how hard it was. Now that she's living a good life, you're trying to recognize her as your relative.
If she was still a country woman in Jiangling, why didn't you send someone back to recognize her?
But Mrs. Ding smiled and said, "I have endured all the hardships. Now I have a son and a daughter, and I am living a good life."
Mrs. Jane wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "You are probably blaming me for not looking for you? I really had no choice at that time." Her previous identity was the daughter of the Weng family. Since she had taken someone else's identity, she had to take care of their daughter. Besides, her husband's job had ups and downs, and she gave birth to several sons in the middle.
As soon as she really settled down, they immediately sent someone to look for her, but they had no idea that it was Uncle Lu who deceived people and married Shujun's cousin to him to impersonate her.
She had made up her mind that even if Second Mistress Ding scolded her, she would accept it. As a mother, she was indeed sorry for her.
Mi Niang wondered what Second Mistress would say.
People around him were already saying, "Since they are mother and daughter, they have recognized each other. It would be great if they could walk around each other affectionately in the future."
"Yes, Mrs. Ruan, your mother is helpless too. You should be considerate of her."
"There are no parents who are not wrong. Mrs. Jian has done so many good deeds, such as repairing bridges and paving roads. Now she finally has a daughter. I hope her daughter will not misunderstand her."
Look, these people just want to see a happy ending every day, what are they doing? If her mother says it's strange, she will be considered unfilial. If she says it's not strange, it would be considered as something against her will.
Mi Niang had really had enough of this family. She stood in front of Mrs. Ding and said, "Logically, I shouldn't say this in front of all the elders, but I think it's better to leave it at that. We all understand that you, as a woman, wanted to remarry. It's nothing. Anyone who is bullied in their husband's family after their husband dies will want to escape. But the past is the past. Why do you have to hold on to it?"
"You are now the wife of the Jian family, with children and grandchildren, and you are living a good life. You have decided to forget the past and start a new life. Since you have not asked about it for more than 20 years, don't ask about it again. Those who know you will naturally understand that you are not that kind of person. Those who don't know you, how can you make up a story? Saying that you are the wife of a high-ranking official, but you have ignored your own daughter for many years, and even almost starved to death on the street, this is not good for everyone."
It's a heart-breaking theory, it's a heart-breaking theory, Mrs. Jian looked at Mi Niang.
Mi Niang bowed and said, "I beg everyone present not to spread this. It doesn't matter to us, but what will others think of Madam Jian?"
A few stinky silver coins have made them so arrogant, as if they are waiting for them to cry and make up for the mother's love and daughter's filial piety, and then give them a few stinky coins as dowry, and then they will look down on them. I don't even want to enter the palace and become the queen, but I still care about your little money.
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